


You Are In Love

by rboudreau



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: Flashbacks, M/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 06:46:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4253418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rboudreau/pseuds/rboudreau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set to "You Are In Love" by Taylor Swift</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Are In Love

**Author's Note:**

> I've seriously been writing this thing since November. I edit it like every few weeks or so, but I never finished until now. So I hope it's worth it haha

**One look, dark room, meant just for you.**  
**Time moved too fast. You play it back.**  
**Buttons on a coat. Lighthearted joke.**  
**No proof, not much, but you saw enough.**

*

Frankie remembered everything from that summer. Even if the live feeds and the episodes weren’t all over the internet, he wasn’t sure he’d ever forget a single moment. He hadn’t planned on falling in love when he went to be on Big Brother, but Zach had made him let his guard down. He’d gotten past all those barriers Frankie had up to prevent himself for falling for straight men, and he’d made himself a nice little place right in Frankie’s heart.

*

_There were a lot of people with them in the Fire Room, but he was hyper aware of Zach laying beside him. He could feel Zach’s eyes on him without even looking, and it was making him feel all warm and content. He knew this feeling. He knew what was happening; that he was falling hard for this cute frat boy. Big Brother had only just started a couple weeks before, but he was fighting a losing battle with this one._

_None of the other houseguests even took notice of the fact that Zach was looking at Frankie. The room was dark, and they could only make out so much from across the room. Everyone was having their own conversations, not paying any attention to the two men laying beside each other in the bed. Frankie decided to look back at Zach, catching his gaze with a small smile. Zach looked briefly embarrassed that he’d been caught staring, but he giggled and buried his face in his pillow. Frankie laughed and scooted closer, snuggling into Zach’s embrace._

_Zach met his eyes shyly, a small smile on his face. Frankie’s stomach did somersaults, and he wrapped his arms around Zach, pressing a kiss against his neck. Zach curled into his embrace, resting his head on his chest and tracing patterns in his side with his finger. Frankie ran his fingers through Zach’s hair slowly and tuned everyone else out. He closed his eyes, letting this happy feeling consume him. Maybe it was dumb of him to be indulging in the feelings he was getting from a self-proclaimed straight man, but he hadn’t felt like this for someone in years, and he couldn’t help but to enjoy it._

*  
**Small talk, he drives, coffee at midnight.**  
**The light reflects the chain on your neck.**  
**He says “Look up,” and your shoulders brush.**  
**No proof, one touch, but you felt enough.**

*

He looked over at Zach in the driver’s seat beside him. He listened as Zach rambled on about Peyton’s latest golf tournament, watching his eyes light up in pride for his little brother. It was just about midnight, but they’d both decided they wanted to see each other, since their days had been packed full of family. They were headed to some coffee shop in Florida that was open 24/7.

They finally pulled into the parking lot and went inside, ordering their coffees. They decided to take them to drink outside, since it was still a perfect temperature in Florida, even at midnight. There was a picnic table outside overlooking a lake, so they went to sit down, opting to sit beside each other instead of across.

Frankie kept his eyes on his coffee cup, twisting it around in circles in between sips. Zach was looking up at the stars and enjoying the comfortable silence between them. Everything had been hectic and loud ever since they'd left the Big Brother bubble. It was nice to hear nothing but crickets and the occasional passing car.

"Look up," Zach said, spotting a shooting star. Frankie looked and grinned, making a wish in his head. Their shoulders brushed together and Frankie felt warmth spread through him. It was only one touch, but he felt everything.

*

**You can hear it in the silence, silence.**  
**You can feel it on the way home, way home.**  
**You can see it with the lights out, lights out.**  
**You’re in love, true love.**  
**You’re in love.**

*

It was silent in the car as Frankie drove Zach home the morning after the Grande Halloween party, dubbed Zankieween for this year. Frankie had this overwhelming feeling of contentment, the way he always felt when he got to be alone with Zach. He reached over, grabbing Zach's free hand off his lap and lacing their fingers together. Zach glanced his way, grinning happily at him and squeezing his hand. 

He relaxed back into his seat, comforted by the gentle stroke of Zach's thumb against the back of his hand. Street lights briefly illuminated the car as they headed towards Zach’s house. Frankie kept a hold on Zach's hand all the way there until they pulled into his driveway. He shut the car off and leaned back, turning his head lazily to look at Zach.

They sat in amicable silence for a few minutes just staring at each other with small smiles on their faces.

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Frankie asked, popping the quiet bubble around them. "I can whisk you back to Boca with me and then you can fly with me to New York and stay with me forever.”

Zach giggled, bringing Frankie's hand up to his and kissing it lightly. "I wish I could. But you know I can’t. I don’t want to push my luck with how great yesterday went. I’ll see you next week, though.”

He nodded, slightly disappointed, but he understood. He sighed, reluctantly letting go of Zach's hand so he could unbuckle his seatbelt. His hand already felt cold.

He looked back at Zach and leaned forward, pressing a kiss against his cheek. He backed up a little, just enough to see Zach's face clearly. "I love you," he whispered.

He smiled at Frankie. "I love you too."

*  
****  
**Morning, his place. Burnt toast, Sunday.**  
**You keep his shirt. He keeps his word.**  
**And for once, you let go of your fears and your ghosts.**  
**One step, not much, but it said enough.**

*

It was the morning of Frankie’s final Rock of Ages show. Zach had spent the most of the time since he’d moved to New York at Frankie’s apartment, ever since he surprised him at the stage door the other day. He’d gone out with AJ the night before while Frankie had gone to the theatre, but then he’d come right back to be with Frankie.

When Frankie woke up early that Sunday morning, he was alone in the bed. For a moment, he thought maybe Zach had left before he’d woken up. But then he heard feet shuffling around in the kitchen and grinned to himself. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and got up, stretching briefly before heading towards the kitchen. 

He saw Zach leaning against his counter, his back to him. Frankie snuck behind him, wrapping his arms around Zach’s waist and burying his face between his shoulder blades. Zach hummed in greeting, petting Frankie’s arm gently.

Frankie kissed his back and laughed quietly. “Are you burning toast?”

Zach jumped and swore, reaching over to the toaster and forcing the lever up so it stopped heating the bread. “Shit. Fuck, I’m sorry. I spaced. I’m so fucking tired.”

Frankie grinned, hopping up to sit on the counter next to where he stood. He grabbed a piece of toast, taking a bite out of it and keeping eye contact with Zach. “Should’ve stayed in bed with me, then,” he teased. “Lucky for you, I don’t mind burnt toast.”

Zach blushed. “I wanted to make you something to eat since you’ve got a busy day today.”

He tugged Zach to stand between his legs, wrapping his arms around him and leaning down to kiss his neck. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” He slipped his hand beneath Zach’s shirt and gave him a playful look. “I was wondering where this shirt went. Did you steal this from me?”

Zach giggled, burying his face in Frankie’s neck. “Maybe.” He pressed his lips against Frankie’s skin, smiling softly. “It smelled like you.”

“God, what am I going to do with you?” he breathed. Zach smiled at him, looking like the very definition of a happy puppy.

“Kiss me?”

Frankie scooted closer to the edge of the counter, pulling Zach as close as possible. “That what you want?” he whispered, barely an inch away from Zach’s mouth. “You wanna kiss me, baby?” 

He nodded, his hand sliding up to Frankie’s face. They leaned in, kissing slowly and holding each other close.

*

**You kiss on sidewalks. You fight, then you talk.**  
**One night, he wakes, strange look on his face. Pauses, then says, "You're my best friend."**  
**And you knew what it was. He is in love.**

*

_”You’re a liar!”_

_“Well guess what? I’m a safe liar.”_

_~~_

_Frankie knew the moment Zach won the OTEV competition that they would be okay again. Zach had looked over at him and winked, and Frankie felt happy for the first time in days._

_After Zach had the veto around his neck, Frankie went to hug him._

_“I don’t want to make you all wet, c’mon, Frankie,” Zach protested._

_“I don’t care, hug me.”_

_~~_

_“Can we be best friends again?” Frankie asked hopefully._

_Zach looked at him. “We are best friends.”_

_Frankie smiled brightly, and when they hugged, it felt like things were clicking back into place._

_~~_

_It was a few days later when they were cuddled together taking a nap. Frankie wasn’t really sleeping, just resting in some half state of consciousness. Zach had been asleep for a little while, and Frankie was just enjoying the moment. Things were finally back to normal with Zach after their fight, and Frankie had long accepted that he had serious feelings for him. Their fight had nearly broken him, but now he had Zach back in his arms and he felt overjoyed again._

_Frankie had been studying Zach’s sleeping face for a few minutes when Zach started to wake. When Zach looked up at him with sleepy eyes, he had a strange look on his face that Frankie couldn’t decipher. They maintained eye contact for a couple moments, just sitting in the silence of the room until Zach finally spoke._

_“You’re my best friend,” he said, his voice thick with sleep._

_Frankie felt himself melting at the words, and it was in that moment that he knew._

_Zach was in love with him._

*

**You can hear it in the silence, silence**  
**You can feel it on the way home, way home**  
**You can see it with the lights out, lights out**  
**You are in love, true love**

*

“What are you thinking about?” Zach whispered, his head resting on Frankie’s chest. 

It was September in LA. They’d been home from the Big Brother 17 finale for a couple hours, reunited for the first time since the premiere party in June. Despite what Frankie liked to think was his better judgement, he’d invited Zach back to his house after everything had ended. Things had been rocky with them in 2015. Yet Frankie couldn’t make himself let go of Zach and his feelings for him. He always found himself right back here in Zach’s embrace.

Frankie brushed his fingers along the back of Zach’s neck. “I was thinking about last year. After you won OTEV.”

Zach looked puzzled. “Why are you thinking about that?”

He shrugged a little. “It was just...after we got past all that and repaired things before you went to Jury...that’s when I really knew without a doubt.”

“Knew what?”

“That you were in love with me. That I was in love with you. That I wanted to make us work after the show.”

Zach propped his chin up on Frankie’s chest and studied his face. “We haven’t been able to so far. Make it work, I mean.”

He rubbed Zach’s ear soothingly. “We haven’t really had a chance. There’s been so many obstacles. But I’m still as in love with you as I was a year ago,” he admitted, looking Zach right in the eye. “I don’t know if you still--”

“I’m still in love with you,” Zach interrupted. “Without a doubt.”

“Enough to be with me?”

Zach stared at him. “I...yes, but how am I supposed to do that, Frankie? You’re never in one place long enough for us to be anything. That’s one of our big problems.”

“I’m going back to New York. Come with me. I promise I won’t leave - with the exception of Halloween, Christmas and maybe an award show - until January.”

Zach shook his head. “You can’t promise that. Everyone fucking loves you. If you get offered some big job here in LA, you can’t just turn it down.”

“Well then we’d talk about it before I accepted it. Zach, honey, it’s been over a year since we met, since I’ve fallen in love with you, since I started thinking about you all the time. If we try this for real, it’s going to take a lot to get me to leave you in New York.” He rubbed up and down the length of Zach’s ear, watching Zach’s eyes droop. “Come to New York with me. Be my boyfriend. We can make this work if we want to.”

Zach stared at him and gave an exaggerated huff, resting his head back on Frankie’s chest. “You just want me to freeze my dick off in the city.”

Frankie smiled brightly. “No, baby, I want you to suck my dick off in the city.”

Zach giggled, burying his face in Frankie’s neck. “Ugh, fine, I guess. Since I’m in love with you and everything.”

*

**And so it goes**  
**You two are dancing in a snow globe round and round**  
**And he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown**  
**And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars**  
**And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it into words**

*

“Frankie!” Zach giggled. Frankie spun him around in a circle beneath his arm, smiling as the snow fell around them. Zach clung to Frankie when he was facing him again, still giggling as he pressed his face into Frankie’s neck.

Frankie continued to dance Zach around, reveling in Zach’s tight grip on him and the happiness he was feeling.

“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere. It’s up to you. New York, New York,” he sung into Zach’s ear in time with the music playing around them. 

Zach smiled at him and cut off his singing with a kiss. Frankie hummed and pressed him closer, kissing him in the cold snowy night. “I love you,” Zach mumbled. “Happy New Year.”

Frankie smiled against Zach’s mouth. “I love you too. Happy New Year, baby.”

Frankie got lost in Zach’s kiss, just like he always did. He thought it might die down a little after Zach moved to New York with him and they became official, but if anything, it just made Frankie more excited to kiss him. And now, when Zach could kiss him in a crowd of people on New Year’s in Times Square without thinking about it, Frankie just fell in love with Zach all over again.

They’d still had their troubles over the last few months, and there had been times when they wanted to call it quits and go running again. But it was moments like these - Zach’s arms around his neck, the smile on his face that reached his eyes, and this feeling of being on top of the world - that made them know they wanted to be together no matter what. 

He felt invincible standing here with Zach in his arms. Before they’d gotten back together in September, Frankie wasn’t sure how anyone thought love was worth all the pain and heartache that he and Zach had been through over the last year. There were moments when it hurt to even hear Zach’s name in passing. But the way their relationship had progressed when Zach moved to be with him and the way they stood by each other’s sides no matter what, it all made sense to him. If he’d given up on Zach like he’d wanted to so many times, he wouldn’t have this moment right here. He wouldn’t have this full feeling in his heart and this sense of knowing that they were it for each other.

As they made their way home to their apartment, their arms locked together for warmth and silence encompassing them, Frankie could still feel it as strongly as he did last summer. 

They were in love.

*

**'Cause you can hear it in the silence**  
**You can feel it on the way home**  
**You can see it with the lights out**  
**You are in love, true love**  
**You're in love**

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate any and all comments/kudos/critique you are willing to give me. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
> 
> If you want to chat, you can find me on tumblr at [ be-your-own-anchor5](http://www.be-your-own-anchor5.tumblr.com)


End file.
